City council opens one-stop-shop for services

A news one-stop customer services centre opens for Manchester residents this week – as the town hall prepares for a multi-million pound redevelopment project. Council services including housing benefits, council tax, licensing, planning and building control, will all operate from the new centre at Number One First Street, on the edge of the city centre, from tomorrow.

A news one-stop customer services centre opens for Manchester residents this week – as the town hall prepares for a multi-million pound redevelopment project.

Council services including housing benefits, council tax, licensing, planning and building control, will all operate from the new centre at Number One First Street, on the edge of the city centre, from tomorrow.

Manchester Advice, the town hall payments counter, a bank of self-service computers and a small lending library will also be available at the modern, new hub while a four-year building and restoration work project is carried out on the town hall complex.

The service centre will move into the town hall at the end of the transformation scheme which will modernise and refresh the city's civic quarter, including St Peter's Square and Central Library.

In the meantime, 1,800 council staff will work from First Street, at the junction of Whitworth Street West and Albion Street, at the southern gateway of the city centre. Customers can reach it using a free shuttle bus service operating from St Peter's Square for the first three months it is open.

Councillor Bernard Priest, Manchester's member for finance and human resources, said: “We expect visitors to Number One First Street to have a first class experience. But don’t take our word for it – come along and see what’s on offer.

“The new Customer Service Centre is a key part of our commitment to continuously improve services for residents and other customers while reducing costs for council taxpayers.”

The new centre – which does not replace local services such as libraries or Sure Start – will be open from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Manchester’s Visitor Information Centre is also relocating from its current location in St Peter’s Square to a new site on the corner of Piccadilly Gardens and Portland Street from June 20. There will be a temporary desk in the town hall’s sculpture hall between June 13 and 20.